Tag Archives: Orlando City

According to Paul Tenorio of The Athletic, Fútbol Miami MLS appears to have a favored candidate for its general manager position, and it’s a name that will be familiar to those interested in Major League Soccer expansion clubs: Paul McDonough, Vice President of Soccer Operations for Atlanta United.

Earlier this month, co-owner Jorge Mas told local media that he anticipated a hire for the general manager position by the end of August. That would mean the franchise is already in the late stages of the search process. Tenorio’s report indicates Fútbol Miami MLS wants an expansion specialist. If that’s the case, McDonough may be the perfect hire.

Before joining Atlanta in January 2016, McDonough was hired by Orlando City of then-USL. McDonough and Adrian Heath (manager) were brought in to shepard the team into the highest ranks of American professional soccer. While the results on the field have not been perfect, the growth of the Orlando project (specifically the growth of fan support within the city and ticket sales) became a model for teams around the country.

Prior to joining the front office of clubs, Paul McDonough spent two years with Wasserman (previously known as the Wasserman Media Group, or WMG) as Director of Global Soccer. In that role, he represented professional soccer players in MLS and abroad. Prior to that, he spent three years at Santio Sport + Entertainment as director of recruiting. His soccer career began on the field, where he worked as an assistant coach at Wake Forest University (1999-2001), the University of South Carolina (2001-2002) and the University of Connecticut (2003-2009).

The Magic City has officially been booted from the 2018 U.S. Open Cup with Miami United’s loss to Orlando City last night at Ted Hendricks Stadium. Despite a strong run through the first four rounds of the tournament, the match was over before it started. Orlando City proved a point that they were taking this tournament seriously under third-year coach Jason Kreis.

For the third straight year the Open Cup symbolizes a battle between South and Central Florida. You already know that Miami United will host Orlando City tomorrow night. You already know that the Fort Lauderdale Strikers and The Miami FC have defeated the MLS foe in consecutive years. What you don’t already know is, Can Miami United make it three straight years of South Florida dominance?

In this episode of the Magic City Soccer podcast, Omar and Matt discuss two teams with two divergent goals, as The Miami FC 2 grabs two wins in the NPSL Sunshine Conference while Miami United gets ready to host Orlando City of Major League Soccer in the U.S. Open Cup. Plus, we have an interview with Ariel Gonzalez of Futbolasta Auctions. Join us, won’t you?

Thanks to our sponsor, Groundhopper, for helping to make this Magic City Soccer episode happen!

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The Magic City will get to see MLS competition for the second straight year courtesy of Miami United FC and their deep run into this year’s U.S. Open Cup tournament. In a first for the club, Miami United FC will host Major League Soccer side Orlando City SC in Round 4 of the U.S. Open Cup on June 5 or 6.

The fourth-round draw took place this morning and in a shocking turn of events, Orlando City opted out of a chance to host for the round. Orlando City has had poor attendance and even worse luck in this round of the tournament in previous years, especially when taking on an opponent from South Florida.

Mixed history

Miami United will look to be the newest addition to the club of lower division sides to knock off Orlando. In 2016, the Fort Lauderdale Strikers were able to get past Orlando in extra time with a game winning goal from Victor “PC” Giro (now on the OCSC roster). In 2017, now NPSL foe, Miami FC knocked out Orlando with a hat trick from Stefano Pinho (now also on the OCSC roster). Miami United has the right amount of firepower up front and tactical ability on defense to provide South Florida with another #cupset for the third consecutive year.

The match date has a placeholder for June 6th (subject to change) and it will take place at Milander Park in Hialeah. This will be City’s first visit to South Florida in the history of its existence in MLS. For years, the South Florida market has been ignored by City amidst the talks of a possible MLS Miami team coming in. Perhaps leaving the South Florida market untapped may come back to haunt Orlando as United look to pack the stadium in a true showing of Miami soccer pride.

It was, simply put, the most consequential week in the history of The Miami FC. This entire episode of Magic City Soccer is dedicated to Miami FC, who easily dispatched with MLS side Orlando City SC in the Open Cup then thrashed Jacksonville Armada to maintain a seven-point cushion at the top of the NASL table. Matt and Omar walk you through it, featuring comments from Stefano Pinho, Ariel Martinez, Nesta and Bruce Silverman. Join us, won’t you?

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If you missed us on Facebook Live during our adventure to Orlando, you can relive the magic (pun intended) here! Drew and Matt host Magic City Soccer most of the way, with a cameo by Omar. Episode 31 will be dropping in just a little bit, but a little extra treat to hold you over. Join us, won’t you?

To subscribe to Magic City Soccer on iTunes, click here. To subscribe to Magic City Soccer on SoundCloud, click here.